I had also asked about charging in the event that we dry camp once a year for 3-4 days. The hauler has a 5500 watt onan, with a Xantrex pro xm1000. If I were to start the onan up, how long would it take to fully charge two and or 4 golf cart batteries?
I also have a champion 3100 I could use and may to keep one ac running during the day and then fire the onan up later in the afternoon so both can keep it cool for sleeping.
These two points are utter game changers. 24 hour generator power availability turns the questions 180 degrees. Simply plug-in at HOME and see the small generator get overloaded trying to restart the A/C. Take the larger generator. Let the Xantrex do the work.
What Golf car batteries do, is make themselves cyclable without rapid deterioration of lifespan.
Trojan GC 2's can take more abuse than regular GC battries but does this apply to you?
Again constant 120vac is the game changer. If you stay true to your usage declaration you don't even need to switch to a different battery.
But a single change in your wording makes all of the above worthless.
Trojan golf car batteries use virgin lead and it can be a critical point if the batteries are subject to hard and extended off-grid use. When I hauled scrap batteries to the LA Trojan plant, the first thing they did was to cull the Trojan products.
There isn't a GC or industrial battery constructed of recycled lead that can equal the life span or survivability of a virgin lead battery.
East Penn DEKA has their own exclusive lead smelter. It would take multiple processing runs (read cruelly expensive) to approach the purity of virgin lead. I have my suspicions that East Penn refining as well as their savy (the EPA demands on site degreed metallurgists and chemical engineers) results in a higher purity recycled product. But does not get near virgin purity. This has to be taken along with a strong dose of manufacturing expertise. LTH Mexican batteries used to be 100% virgin lead. No warranties. But single BCI grade availability and the current corruption of lead mining by violent gangs made acceptance of USA recycled lead inevitable. The LTH brand is now nehhh in quality. I have suspicions because of a price jump six years ago that LTH GC 208 batteries still use virgin lead. RAMCAR batteries from the Philippines used to be Virgin lead, but I do not know their current status. Everything on the shipping docks of Rolls & Surrette is virgin lead.
But your extremely gentle usage eliminates the need for expensive grades of lead. If DEKA GC's were available in your area at warehouse prices I would lean heavily towards them. If you have the inclination a 150 watt solar panel and top notch controller would greatly extend the life of your batteries. The reason is, converter manufacturers are separated from the realities of battery needs. Solar controller manufacturers far less so. Other members on this forum can take over as I badly need to apply DMSO to my badly aching fingers.
Hope this helps
